Spectacular Images of the Antarctic

Renowned Italian photographer Enzo Barracco is celebrated primarily for his work in the fashion industry. Last year, he broke from that mold, packed his bags and headed for the cold Antarctic. He was largely moved by a book on British explorer Ernest Shackleton, as he embarked this self-funded trip. The biography of Shackleton stirred him mainly because of the explorer’s character and tenacity to never give up. “It was a very good message so I decided to make a project about the Antarctic,” said Barracco, whose exceptionally distinguished client list includes huge names such as Estee Lauder, Phaidon Press, Barclays Bank, Group, Vivienne Westwood and Park Hyatt.

While exploring the vast landscape, he captured the majestic images that have been exhibited at the Royal Geographical Society earlier this year as well as in Paris. “Normally only ‘science people’ go there,” said Barracco of the icy Antarctic “I wanted to photograph the landscape in an artistic way.” Roughing it up, he took most of his pictures while on a tiny rubber boat. His adventure was fueled by a desire to connect with nature.

On funding the trip, Barracco intimated how he raised the money. “I decided to raise the money to organise my own expedition.” He did that by auctioning work from an earlier project.

Prior to the trip, he spoke of its relevance to him and his expectations of the mission. “The aim of the project, reflected through my images, is to increase the urgent need for people to understand and decode the complex message of this ancestral territory, where the violence of the oceans driven by strong winds seems to foster the last secrets of the universe.”

“It is an opportunity for deep reflection on our daily consumption, as all human activities can affect and infect a unique and far away ecosystem, as wild as that of ‘finis terrae’ Antarctica, a charismatic and mysterious place of real beauty.”

I am a freelance photographer who is no stranger to smudged lenses, long hours in front of the computer, heavy camera bags (and the back aches that ensued) and missing lens caps. If you know what I'm talking about, you probably have as much love and passion for photography as I do.